1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to a system and method of altering the playback speed of recorded content such as audio or video, and more specifically to a system and method where the playback speed of recorded content is altered so as to match a target syllable rate associated with user input or source of origin.
2. Background Art
With the advent of new technology, people have an increasing number of options for receiving news, entertainment and other information. For example, there was a time when the only way to “read” Tolstoy's War and Peace was to actually sit down and physically read the text on each page. At over 1400 pages in length, this was a daunting, time consuming task. At 20 pages a day, it would take nearly three months to complete the work. Additionally, while reading, the reader can do essentially nothing else—the hands must hold the book and turn the pages, while the eyes are fixed on the text. A person reading such a novel is simply unable to do another task simultaneously, like exercising, cooking or driving.
Advances in technology have given “books on tape”. With a recorded book, rather than actually reading the words, a user may simply place a cassette tape or compact disc into a suitable player. The user then listens as an articulate reader reads the book aloud. With the advent of books on tape, an entirely new audience has been introduced to, among other works, classic novels as they can be “read” while driving, jogging, or doing other activities. Additionally, since the reader's pace is steady and never tires, a lengthy novel like War and Peace can generally be completed in a fraction of the time it would take to actually read every word. Still, even if the listener hears 40 pages a day, it will be more than five weeks before War and Peace is completed.
The problem with the recorded spoken word, when recorded in a format like cassette tapes or compact discs, is that the playback rate is the same as the generation rate. In the case of a novel, the listener hears the spoken words at the same rate that the reader produced them. People are generally capable, however, of comprehending the meaning of spoken words at a rate which is significantly higher than the rate at which it is produced. Testing has shown that comprehension at a playback speed that is 1.5 to 2 times; the original recording speed is often practical.
The problem with simply increasing the speed of a tape or similar recording format is that the intelligibility of the content can be compromised. A typical effect is that the pitch of the speaker's voice gets higher. While David Saville made a career using this technique to create his “Alvin and the Chipmunks”, people often prefer to hear a speaker's voice with its normal pitch and tambre.
There is thus a need for an improved method and system for increasing the playback speed of a recording without reducing the intelligibility of the recorded content.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.